culture
Emerging Talent Voices and the Next Wave to Watch in Bogotá's Food Scene
Young cooks in the capital are updating ajiaco and other classics through new collectives and pop-ups that opened this spring.
How we reported this
Three Bogotá natives under 30 opened the Cocina Emergente collective on May 15 in a rented kitchen space on Carrera 4 in La Candelaria, serving 40-seat dinners that blend traditional sancocho stocks with foraged herbs from nearby hills.
The timing aligns with a surge in independent food projects across the city as rents stabilized after 2024 inflation peaks and more residents returned to dining out on weekends.
Chapinero pop-ups and Teusaquillo labs
At the Mercado de Paloquemao, 26-year-old chef Laura Restrepo runs a Thursday night stall featuring her version of arepas stuffed with smoked trout from the Sumapaz páramo, while the nearby Universidad de los Andes culinary extension on Calle 18A hosts a six-week program that pairs emerging cooks with market vendors for ingredient sourcing sessions.
Both spots sit within walking distance of established eateries yet draw crowds who arrive before 6 p.m. to secure the limited 25 plates served each session.
Numbers behind the shift
The Bogotá Chamber of Commerce recorded 48 new food ventures started by operators aged 22 to 34 between January and June 2025, with average tasting-menu prices listed at 65,000 Colombian pesos, up from 48,000 pesos two years earlier.
Those figures come from permit applications filed through the city’s gastronomy registry and match reports from the local tourism board tracking foot traffic at food events in Usaquén and Chapinero.
Visitors can check the collective’s Instagram for the next available dates at the La Candelaria kitchen or sign up for the August cohort at the Universidad de los Andes extension before spots fill.